The head of a ballet company is called the
artistic director. They are usually a retired dancer, and often they choreograph some of the company's productions themselves. In a large company, they will have one or more assistants. Day-to-day coaching of the dancers is the responsibility of one or more
ballet masters and
ballet mistresses. Some companies also employ
répétiteurs and
dance notators. There is often a resident
choreographer. All but the smallest companies divide their dancers into at least three grades. The most common names for the two higher grades in English are
principal and soloist and the junior dancers form the
corps de ballet. Some companies (especially in North America) have trainees or apprentices, who rank below the corps de ballet and may be unpaid. Some companies further subdivide these grades, and the terminology used varies from company to company. In the 19th century and early to mid-20th century the top female dancer was often recognized as the
prima ballerina, but this practice has ceased. Male and female dancers were historically split into separate hierarchies (for more information see
ballerina). Today, many companies choose to use a gender-neutral hierarchy. Some companies (mainly in Russia and countries strongly influenced by
Russian ballet) employ specialist
character dancers: unlike ballerinas female character dancers do not dance
en pointe. The largest ballet company in the world is the
Bolshoi Ballet of Moscow, which employs over 240 dancers, as of 2010. The largest companies in Western Europe and North America employ around one hundred. Many companies have a
music director, generally a conductor by profession, though this is often a part-time position. The music director has a lower status in ballet than they have in opera, where they are the head of the company. Freelance conductors are hired to conduct specific productions as and when required. Large companies have their own
orchestra, which is often shared with an
opera company resident in the same theatre or opera house. Smaller companies hire a local orchestra on a contract basis for each season of performances, or hire a
scratch orchestra for specific performances, e.g. when they are on tour. During company classes and rehearsals, music is provided by one or more staff or freelance pianists. All but the smallest companies have a separate administrative staff that deals with marketing, accounts, personnel issues, logistics and so on. Larger companies employ a permanent staff of craftsmen and craftswomen such as prop makers and costume makers, and technical staff such as lighting technicians and stage managers. Smaller companies hire freelancers for these roles as and when required. Some companies also have
physiotherapists,
masseurs, and
physical trainers on the staff. ==Asian classical ballet traditions==